re Re: re Re: NP "racist" Tolkien?

[pynchonoid]

pynchonoid:
> I'm happy to refrain from judging Shapiro's work
>until
> I read it.

jbor: 
>Fair enough too. His thesis, as it's presented in the
>summary and comments
>in his press release, is a pretty flimsy one.

That's difficult if not impossible to evaluate without
actually reading Shapiro.  Imagine, just for a moment,
the brief press release that might summarize Gravity's
Rainbow and present its major themes, presented and
received without the benefit of Pynchon's past work
and reputation.  

jbor:
>So >when's this "work" of his
>due out?

I don't know.  Why don't you email him to find out?

dave:
>Again, brainstorming vs.
>gladitorial combat here ...

Amen.  Heaven forbid we might consider, evaluate,
discuss, entertain the notion -- even if it leads to
rejecting the thesis, or modifying it, or discovering
something altogether different that we hadn't
considered prior to said discussion -- that Tolkien's
writing might reflect the values of the racist,
imperial society that formed him.  (As Moorcock does
in those remarks Dave excerpted - thanks.)

-Doug





=====
<http://www.pynchonoid.blogspot.com/>

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